the weekly pencil.

I must say, with full disclosure, that Japanese-made pencils will always have a special spot in my pencil loving heart. It was the Tombow MONO that first piqued my interest and sent me down the rabbit hole of pencil using/collecting. There is something about Japanese pencils; the darkness and strength of their graphite, the beautiful finish and attention to detail that goes into each brand, and the overall consistency I am met with each time I pick up a new pencil to use. This week, I used the Mitsubishi 9000 HB and fell in love with its smooth lay-down and beautiful color scheme. First, the pencil itself is a sight to behold. It has a shiny green lacquer with a darker Kelly green stripe around the top where the lead grade is located. The gold foil stamping is precise and really shines with the green color. One one side (and perhaps one of my favorite imprints to date) it has "Made by elaborate process" stamped proudly and reassuringly. And see, that's just it. I really feel as though so much went into the making of this pencil and that careful scrutiny accompanied it during its entire journey into my possession.

Sharpening the Mitsubishi 9000 was a joy and not once did a point prematurely break. AS with all of my pencils, the first sharpen is made by the Classroom Friendly and then I switch over to the KUM Masterpiece (which is now on US soil...see Caroline!). My entire week of writing with this pencil was a joy. With a heavy note-taking week behind me, I still have about half a pencil left. It erases effortlessly with the Mitsubishi Boxy and does not smudge or smear.

This pencil will definitely make it into my rotation and I recommend that everyone should try one at least once. They are moderately priced at $1.00 a pencil, but with its durable graphite, I feel as though this pencil will last you twice as long. If you are interested, as always, head to Caroline. Overall 9.5/10